Jordan Shimek (left), Roman Weir and Jason Shimek take a jet ski out for a spin at Red River Waterway at Fort Buhlow Recreation Area in Pineville.

Written by

John Andrew Prime
Louisiana Gannett

Whether or not Red River is a pure steam of water running to the Mississippi depends on whom you ask.

If you talk to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality or the U.S. Geological Survey, it's doing pretty well as far as U.S. rivers go, with less siltation, only a touch of salinity and not much in the way of pollutants or harmful bacteria.

"I would say overall the water quality on the Red is good," says Ben McGee, supervisory hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Ruston. "I would say it's holding steady." ...